An international public-private alliance seeking to use philanthropic funding to attract private capital to green energy projects in the global south is staffing up and preparing to quickly mobilize initiatives to support the transition to renewable energy.
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet launched during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 26, in November with $1.5 billion in philanthropic commitments from the Bezos Earth Fund, the IKEA Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation. It has pledged to “unlock USD100 billion in public and private capital.”
The group this week announced the hire of its first CEO, Simon Harford. He was most recently a senior adviser at Actis, a sustainable infrastructure investment firm, and previously headed its Africa operations. He also previously served as a senior adviser for the Larry Ellison Foundation, a charitable organization created by billionaire Larry Ellison that was shuttered in 2020.